A Canadian becomes a new dad in Japan

Menu

Tag Archives: beach

On Friday, we had a very busy day. While visiting the clinic, we had an hour wait, so we went to Denny’s for breakfast.

Playing a game on the iPod.

The checkup at the clinic went well. Tomoe is feeling better after yet another cold. This time, just runny nose and cough. No fever. We then headed to Chigasaki where my wife had to run into work for a short while. Tomoe and I went to Chigasaki’s Chuo Park for some fun. There was a pond with a waterfall and many dragonflies. There was so much space, I let Tomoe run around on her own and just enjoy herself.

Next to a big tree.

Freedom!

She loves pushing her stroller around.

But the highlight of the day was Southern Beach. This was Tomoe’s opportunity to get her feet wet and experience the ocean water. We didn’t have swimsuits, but she could enjoy the water. Or so we thought. She slept the entire time.

On Sunday, my family went to a beach barbecue with a friend of mine in Kamakura. It was at Yuigahama Beach, which I’ve posted about before. This was Tomoe’s first chance to meet a large number of people, and she was quite popular. Several of my coworkers were there, and they were quite interested in meeting Tomoe. It was a good chance for her to be the centre of attention, and she seemed to have little trouble with it. But she seemed to have a hard time with one person in particular who kept looking at her with his face very close to her. I think she was uncomfortable. But she seemed to have no trouble with all of the women, as well as plenty of the men. One thing that she did that surprised me was that she started crying when she was close to the water. She was so excited before.

Tomoe’s introduction to my world was pretty successful. She’s known mostly just home and some shops and the neighbourhood, but this time, she got to experience the people I meet every week. It was a very tiring experience for her, though. She slept a lot Sunday night. But Monday was another big day, which I’ll post about soon.

Another big thing was that my wife’s homemade karaage (Japanese style fried chicken) was very successful.

Tomoe was in the red baby carriage. Notice the hawk near the centre? There were so many hawks that day!

For the second week in a row, Tomoe went to the beach. It was a bit different this time, as we walked from Kamakura to Enoshima, all of the time along the coast. Before we got to the beach, we stopped at Kua’aina, a Hawaiian hamburger restaurant that serves the best burgers in Japan, most likely.

Tomoe wants a hamburger, not her formula.

On the beach, she wasn’t very interested in the waves this time. She just wanted to sleep. She did get to touch the water this time, though there was no reaction from her at all. Just sleep.

Looking out at the ocean? No, she's actually asleep.

We walked along the coastline, mostly on a sidewalk, but on occasion, we stopped at a park or convenience store. At Inamuragasaki Park, Tomoe was a bit hungry.

She was so hungry, she tried to eat the baby carriage.

One thing we noticed is that her eyes are starting to change colour. It looks like they may become hazel. They’re still mostly blue-grey, but hazel is becoming visible. I didn’t think she’d keep her blue eyes.

Tomoe’s also become quite the talker. Of course, she doesn’t say any words, but she makes plenty of sounds while we talk to her. It’s pretty cute. But when it’s late at night, she sometimes likes to make lots of noise. She’s not hungry, she just wants to talk. Right now, my wife is trying to sleep, I’m trying to blog, and Tomoe just won’t stop talking.

Last Friday, my wife and I walked down to the beach from our apartment with Tomoe. It was nearly 10 km. It was also Tomoe’s first time at the beach. Our walk to the beach was filled with cherry blossoms and brief rain showers. But when we arrived at the beach, there was no more rain. It was cloudy, though. Thankfully, the clouds cleared near the western horizon and Mt Fuji. You can see the pictures on my Japan blog.

Tomoe’s first visit to the beach was quite the experience. At first, she didn’t seem very excited.

Tomoe's at the beach!

We stopped a while to take some pictures of the sunset and Enoshima and an elderly man started talking to us. I have no idea what he was saying, though. After a bit, we went down to the beach, took Tomoe out of her baby carriage and I carried her to the water. That’s where the magic began. I crouched down and put Tomoe on my knee so she could be close to the water. She was mesmerized by the waves coming in. She couldn’t take her eyes off of them. She started breathing quickly and her body would not keep still. She was shaking with excitement. She wasn’t afraid at all. She was incredibly excited by these waves coming in. It’s something she’s never seen before. I have a feeling she’s going to love he beach.

My wife was holding Tomoe for this picture. She was pretty excited, so she wouldn't stay still.

I'm holding her on the beach with the sun setting behind us.

After the sun set behind Mt Fuji, we made our way back to Kugenuma Kaigan Station and back home. It was an exciting day for Tomoe, and we’ll be seeing the beach again this Friday.

Later at home, she gave me a big smile.

That night, Tomoe seemed very happy. She smiled a lot. She’s been doing that a lot lately. Today, she was even laughing. She’s finally started laughing.